Eskenazi Museum of Art Live!
A one-day music festival was planned to engage local audiences.
Homecoming for a Native Sonat Memphis Brooks Museum
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art hosted two improvised musical performances — featuring local musicians, artists, poets, and dancers — around Terry Adkins’ “Native Son (Circus).”
Funding Categories
Honoraria
Marketing & Outreach
partner
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
location
Memphis, TN
About
To activate its loan of Terry Adkins’ “Native Son (Circus),” the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art piloted two Homecoming events, bringing multidisciplinary performance into the gallery to create dialogue between music, art, and poetry. The first event featured a free jazz improvisation, a talk about saxophonist Charlie Parker’s connection to Memphis, movement by contemporary dancer Toothbrush Jesus, and an African libation ceremony. The second featured another libation ceremony along with a friendly talent competition between jazz musicians called a “cutting contest” and a poetry recital by Sheree Renée Thomas. The performances brought new artists and audiences to the museum for an eclectic event inspired by the original sculpture.
Intended Outcome
Staff at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art hoped to see 300 attendees across the two events and attract a younger, more diverse audience by leveraging outreach through printed and digital promotions.
Actual Outcome
Audiences for the Homecoming performances were modest but diverse. Of 103 people, the majority were African American. Several attendees told staff that this was their first time visiting the museum.
Advice Post Project
Museums planning a similar program should lean into interdisciplinary, experimental formats and trust artists as partners, even when activities feel unfamiliar to traditional gallery settings. Pairing bold, culturally grounded performances with multiple outreach channels can successfully bring first-time and community-based audiences into the museum.
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“I Refuse to Be Invisible”: An Improvisational Concert by Kentavius Jones, Ian Trusheim, and Jordan Stanley
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Eskenazi Museum of Art Live!
A one-day music festival was planned to engage local audiences.
Deeper Than Skin: Music Showcaseat Mattatuck
The Mattatuck Museum welcomed local rappers, spoken word artists, poets, and singers to perform pieces inspired by artworks in the “A Face Like Mine” exhibition.
“I Refuse to Be Invisible”: An Improvisational Concert by Kentavius Jones, Ian Trusheim, and Jordan Stanley
An improvisational musical experience was based on the musings and personal responses of musicians and audiences alike to Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s “I Refuse to Be Invisible.”
Learn MoreAbout This Activity